The Pig & Whistle — Restaurant in Cocoa Beach

Original reviews showed great promise but the real experience was absolutely tragic. Ambiance was not too bad but I knew we were in for a wild ride when we received our scotch egg appetizer. Pretty much a very dry breaded egg which would have had the potential to at least be edible until we tried the horseradish sauce that came with it. We managed to finish the egg without the sauce but I would certainly never recommend it. Regardless, these things happen and tastes differ so we were more than willing to overlook this and move on. We were certainly happy with the pretzel with cheese sauce but that was the extent of any further possibilities for a good review. We ordered mostly the pies which included the chicken pot pie. While the dish arrived hot, we were extremely shocked to discover that one hour before closing the restaurant staff was placing all of the chairs on top of the tables for closing. It was an extremely unwelcoming sight. This was occurring 1 hour prior to closing. (see picture). Regardless, we decided to press on and at least try to enjoy the food. After many attempts to get through the chicken pot pie, we gave up because the entree only contained chicken skin and no chicken meat. We of course may not be experts in English food but I would hardly envision a chicken pot pie made exclusively with chicken skin. The vegetables were somewhat raw or possibly on the al dente side of things but I was prepared to overcome that culinary deficiency if the dish at least had chicken meat in it. The copious amounts of salt I added to the dish was still not enough to overcome the chicken skin. (see picture) At that point, I was absolutely disgusted and pointed out the chicken skin and chairs to our sever when I requested our bill. I was of course shocked to discover that even with my pointing out the chicken skin pot pie, the server actually left the charge for the dish on the bill. In almost any decent restaurant, a complaint of such nature would send any competent manager running to address the issue and certainly remove the offending meal from the bill. To the servers credit, they did offer a free desert but to leave the dish on the bill was actually pretty insulting. For anyone reading this who may think I am some kind of Karen trying to get a free meal or something, please note that I think in 10 or 15 years I have taken the time to write possibly one negative restaurant review. The bill came to $ 200 so we were not worried about the cost of one entree. So this is a pretty real review. It was just a situation that we could not overlook. Perhaps there is no management in place which is why they decided to close early although another party entered after we received our food so not sure. One thing is certain, we would never come back this restaurant again unless we could cook...

6 dishes out cold, only offered to comp two of the six inedible dishes. The manager tried to physically intimidate me (5’5 female) in front of my father and his friends. He said, and I quote, “I put my hands in your food and it was hot.” I wish I was kidding even 10%. He’s disgusting and smelled like yesterday’s booze, the staff were drunk and doing shots on the clock, and I’m excited to call the health department on Tuesday morning. As a woman I did not feel safe there. Zero stars. There are so many delicious, affordable, and welcoming places to dine in this area. What a waste of our time, our money, and our politeness. Can’t wait to see what vile vitriol the owner has to spit out at me in response to this honest review - scroll through a few poor reviews on here, he attacks everyone, and there are multiple reviews by women and POC saying they didn’t feel safe there (happy to quote those in another review if the owner wants to escalate our terrible interaction with the aptly named Pig further). Don’t know why we expected better. Bye!

EDIT: Update

In response to the bratty manager's reply (as expected) to my original honest review... folks, get your popcorn ready.

Wow, this is really embarrassing for you, as the instance you are complaining about here is from an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PARTY. So not only did you let our crew down recently, but apparently you also ruined a night for a completely novel group of people! Hats off to you sir! My father did not threaten a manager, no dessert (check your spelling by the way, honey) was sent out, we were never offered a table, your acting manager told me he tried the food by putting his hands in it (I'm still shocked that he said that, but he was pretty hammered to be fair) and it was cold so he offered to take two dishes off the tab. You also have a bell at the bar that staff ring when they do shots or take drinks. Patrons, you're quite welcome to check it out. My father never called the restaurant; we paid, tipped and left.

Finally, as someone with extensive hospitality experience, I review all establishments (down to fast food franchises) when I have a positive experience because it benefits the young people who work there. They are building their resumes for the first time, and I want to help youth get a leg up in the industry so they have a bright future and don't have to work at restaurants like yours, crybaby. Have...

The Pig & Whistle-240 N. Orlando Avenue, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

4.5 Stars

Cocoa Beach: The land of King Hit or Miss. At its worst, we are left with sloppy, disgusting, disagreeable food; and yet at its best, it's nonetheless quite possible to find satisfactory offerings, if one is willing to look hard enough. Located in the heart of Cocoa Beach, tucked far away from the overwhelming number of subpar, bedizened, beachside eateries stands a prime example of the latter, waiting patiently to be discovered in the Pig & Whistle. Opening its doors in 1985, the Pig & Whistle offers ambience befitting that of a traditional British pub, coupled with authentic eats, served daily.

My Weta,Tamara is a highly experienced hand in Brevard County food locales. Quite honestly, she bursts forth with a full, affable personality and is easily a perennial finalist for the award of "Big Boy best service." Presently, she is a number one waitstaff, top earner in the second quarter. I arrive ready for breakfast but discover a lunch and dinner menu is at hand. Thankfully, Tamara eagerly went to bat for me, allowing me to order a lunch item as well.

Cheesy grits with a runny egg: absolutely exciting! The key ingredient to producing great grits is most certainly either heavy cream, or cheese. The pancakes offered the perfect texture, an exceptional balance and careful blend, meeting at the crossroads wherein fluffy meets tasty. I am beyond happy with the result. I'll further submit that the runny egg was an awesome finale to the breakfast meal.

The banger burger (bangers and mash) is comprised of English sausage, mash potatoes, smothered in gravy and topped with grilled onions and a big juicy burger, cooked medium rare, in between. Come on now, this is an exquisite combination and is so very nice.

Big Boy Says, "Come in the morning. See Tamara. Get a great breakfast, and if you're lucky,...